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Former Providence High star Young to take larger role for Gators

Phil Sandlin Associated Press Florida center Patric Young will have his work cut out for him with Will Yeguete injured and unavailable.

GAINESVILLE | Florida center Patric Young’s time with the Gators hasn’t been easy.

However, the Jacksonville native has overcome the mental obstacles in his first three years at UF.

But now, he faces perhaps his greatest.

The second-ranked Gators are expecting to play the rest of their remaining nine-game regular-season schedule without forward Will Yeguete. The junior underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee Friday and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks. That stretch begins Saturday when the Gators (18-3, 8-1) host Mississippi State (7-14, 2-7).

UF leads the Southeastern Conference race by a game. However, the Gators looked like a different team on Tuesday. Arkansas beat visiting UF 80-69 and snapped its 10-game winning streak. Yeguete played one minute before leaving the game. The Razorbacks built a 36-13 lead.

The loss of Yeguete means Young must overcome another mental hurdle. His physical tools have never been in question. At 6-foot-9, 249 pounds, Young is a muscular big man with great agility.

With Yeguete out, Young becomes UF’s lone reliable rebounder and its only stout interior defender.

Young must not only elevate his play, but avoid foul trouble to give Florida coach Billy Donovan extra minutes above his average of 27 a game.

“More so than basketball, my concern is for Will as my friend,” said Young, who is averaging 11 points and 6.6 rebounds a game.

“I know he wants to be out there playing with us, so I just hope he can get back healthy soon.”

Young’s maturation process will be tested over the next six weeks. How well he handles this situation could largely shape where UF’s season of promise goes from here.

The process has been a long one for Young.

Young was a five-star recruit coming out of Providence School. Rivals.com considered him the nation’s 27th-overall prospect.

However, Young’s physical ability to dominate at the prep level with relative ease wasn’t enough to do the same in the SEC.

“It’s a huge difference, because in high school you’re not fighting for a spot,” Young said. “You know that you’re starting. You don’t have to worry about somebody taking your spot on the team. Here, you have to earn everything.”

Young struggled to adjust to the work ethic needed to produce at UF. The relentless practices Donovan routinely put his team through wore on Young. Now, Young has developed the competitive hardness Donovan wants and can grind through difficult times.

“Patric Young has really grown,” Donovan said. “That wasn’t his nature when he came in here. His nature was ‘Why are we working so hard; we work hard every day.’ ”

Young said he never dreaded practicing, but admits he had days where he was fatigued. Donovan made it clear that Young couldn’t take practice lightly. Being tired wasn’t an acceptable excuse. The issue was raised again earlier this season when Donovan did not start Young against Marquette on Nov. 29. In the 15 games since, Young has given his all to Donovan.

“Now I understand whenever we’re in the gym, no matter how you feel you have to be professional,” Young said. “You have to be ready to work. Whether I want to practice or not, I’m going to push through. Coach is going to get done what he wants to get done.”

Donovan was encouraged by Young’s mental development in UF’s win over Missouri on Jan. 19. Young struggled offensively in the first half of the game, but didn’t let it affect his defensive effort. The Tigers were held to 52 points in a 31-point defeat.

“He really defended,” Donovan said. “He kept his mind and his head in the game at the other end of the floor. I thought that was great growth from him as a player to be able to do that because years past, those kind of situations would have affected the whole entire game.”

Young’s production is up across the board from last season. He’s scoring more, shooting a higher percentage and rebounding at a higher clip. Young also already has more blocks and steals than he did last season.